Unprecedented Palestinian displacement from the West Bank amid fears of permanent displacement

Gaza – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

The American New York Times newspaper, citing researchers and historians, revealed on Monday that the current wave of Palestinian displacement from the West Bank is the largest since its occupation in 1967, with around 40,000 Palestinians forced to leave their homes after a large-scale Israeli military campaign last month.

The newspaper stated that the Israeli operations that targeted three areas in the northern West Bank forced thousands of residents to take refuge in the homes of relatives or camp in mosques, schools, wedding halls, and even farm sheds, amid systematic destruction of infrastructure.

The newspaper pointed to growing Palestinian fears that this displacement may be part of a deliberate plan to impose permanent displacement and strengthen Israeli control over the areas under the Palestinian Authority’s administration.

According to experts, this wave exceeds the scale of displacement witnessed in the West Bank during the Israeli invasion in 2002.

Despite the return of about 3,000 displaced people to their homes, most of the displaced remain homeless, especially after the occupation forces destroyed dozens of buildings, roads, and water and electricity lines under the pretext of eliminating resistance fortifications.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirmed that Israeli destruction operations have caused severe damage to water and sanitation systems in four densely populated areas, leading to the contamination of water resources with sewage.

For her part, the Palestinian-American historian Maha Nassar described the situation as “unprecedented,” not only because of the scale of displacement but also because of the discourse that seeks to normalize the idea of forced displacement, stressing that this constitutes a dangerous escalation that threatens to change the demographic and political composition of the West Bank.